In Time
by Ganja Naraku
Summary: I can hear what you're thinking...


**[insert attempt at opening humor here]**

xxx

Gardevoir fell last to his pikachu. He was still in utter awe of this total and complete defeat. One after another his pokemon fell; helpless against the onslaught of the legendary trainer. He had expected a challenge, but for the gap in skill to be so wide…

_I can hear what you're thinking, all your doubts and fears._

There is a clatter at his feet and he stared at the bottle of Max Revive. In all honesty, he hadn't yet considered how he would get off the summit with Gardevoir unconscious. Gardevoir had never failed him, not since their first battle when she had been but a skittish Ralts. He looked up in time to see his opponent tip his hat in goodbye as he turned and walked away.

_And if you look in my eyes, in time you'll find the reason I'm here._

At the pokemon center as he sat waiting for his pokemon to heal those eyes haunted him. Those red eyes sending him a message he didn't need words to hear:

"Better luck next time, kid."

_And in time all things shall pass away. In time, you may come back someday._

He was never one to back down from a challenge. He was stubborn like that. But he also wouldn't force any of his pokemon to brave the mountain again if they didn't want to. He should have had more faith in them; they had never backed down on him either. They would train, they would struggle and they would return and challenge him.

_To live once more, or die once more._

They would defeat the legend, or die trying.

_But in time, your time will be no more._

xxx

A cold wind howled as lighting crashed along the sky. Sleet and hail fell heavy as an eerie fog lingered in the air. The seasons mattered little up here. Summer felt no different than Winter, Spring, or Autumn. Silver was a cruel and heartless mistress; she felt no pity for the weak, she offered no remorse to the slow, and she did not tolerate the stupid. Any sane man knew that to try and scale her was a fool's gamble, no matter what prize waited at the top.

And yet…

_You know your days are numbered. _

"Red." Not a question but a statement of fact.

He turned, already knowing who would stand before him. The boy and his gardevoir. In the three years since their first meeting, he had lived below the summit as he once did, training himself to try and best him. It always mystified him that the greatest of the great, the strongest of the strong, and the bravest of the brave never knew when to leave well enough alone. You have to realize that there are mountains that cannot be climbed. There are seas which cannot be sailed. And there are legends that will not die.

_Count them one by one, like notches in the handle of an outlaw's gun._

He tipped his hat in greeting and slipped a pokeball into his hand. Pikachu's cheeks crackled with life, excited. His starter always had a sense when the real challenges approached. When he had first crawled his way up here, the electric mouse hadn't given him a passing glance. Now though, now his friend sensed not just a challenge, but a possible threat. Interesting.

_You can outrun the devil, if you try, but you'll never outrun the hands of time._

Two pokeballs flew into the air and he watched as his pokemon tested this challenger. In the back of his mind he wondered if today was the day; the day that he could finally be defeated. He admitted himself jaded at this point. So many men have come before him, looking to make a name for themselves at his expense. And one after another he had humbled them and sent them from his mountain with their tails tucked between their legs. Still, the child's persistence interested him and he continued to return to take another shot.

_In time there surely will come a day._

Venusaur's defeat surprised him. His improvement was staggering since their last meeting. As he recalled him and sent forth Snorlax he felt a familiar spark of challenge. The boy looked confident now, having defeated the first hurdle. He felt a smile tug at his lips; Snorelax had several tricks up its sleeve and then we would see if his confidence lasted.

_In time all things shall pass away, in time you may come back some say._

"Now, finish it Gardevoir! Psychic!" The aura engulfed Pikachu lifting him up and sending him sailing back to be caught by his trainer. And he sighed, despite his other pokemon's defeat, he could only feel a strange surge of pride. At last, another one had come who was worthy of the title of Master. With his Pikachu in his arms he walked towards the celebrating duo. He nodded his head and spoke for the first time in years.

_To live once more, or die once more,_

"Well done."

_But in time, your time will be no more._

xxx

Lucario fell last to his Gardevoir. She was still in utter awe of this total and complete defeat. One after another her pokemon fell; helpless against the onslaught of the legendary trainer. She had expected a challenge, but for the gap in skill to be so wide…

_I can hear what you're thinking…_

xxx

**Yeah, I've been playing some of my old pokemon games.**


End file.
